Valve cap retainer



Nov. 8, 1938. c. J. CLARKE VALVE CAP RETAINER Original Filed March15,.1935

Patented Nov. 8, 1938 I PATENT verve on RETAINER Original applicationMarch 15, 1935, Serial No. "11,353. D'v'ided-and this application July16,

1938, serial No. 90,982

I e ,7 1 Claim. invention relates to a new and improved valve capretainer and pertains more specifical- 1y to a retainer for use "incombination with the ordinary andoonventional screw cap round on 5 andused in connection with the ordinary and conventional valve and valvestern of a pneumatit the inner tube. i a V The present applicationconstitutes a division or my eppueationserim No. 11,353, filed March1-5, 'ises nu entitled Valve covers and valve cap retainers."

The primary object of the invention is the provielen or a valve capretainer composed of an elastic or similar resilient material.

15 Another and further object of the invention is the provisionof valvecap retainer adapted to permit quick and ready removal of the valve capfrom the inner tube stem to permit access to the uncovered valve'toenable the inner tube tobe inflated or deflated.

Another andstill further object of the invention is the provision of adevice having the above specifically enumerated attributes and havingthe runner improved attribute that the retainer prevents the valve capfrom being either misplaced or lost when the cap is removed fromthevalve stem for the purpose of inflating or deflating the tire innertube.

Other and furtherspecific objects, novel featines of construction andimproved results and benefits of the present invention will appear inmore detail from the following description when read in the light of theaccompanying drawing In the drawing: i

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation of the present improved inventionillustrating its application to the valve cap of a conventional innertube valve stem. 7

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation, taken at right angles to Fig. 1, apart of the view broken away and-appearing in vertical section and withthe valve cap retainer being illustrated in dotted line as it appearswhen the cap is removed from the-stein.

Describing the invention broadly with reference to the accompanyingdrawing, A designates as an entirety the conventional valve stem of anautomobile or similar tire inner tube. The conventional cap which servesas a closure for the upper end of this stem is designated as an entiretyat B and the cap retainer and carrier which is also a water anddirt-proof closure, is designated as an entirety at C.

Proceeding now with a detailed description of the invention and stillmaking referenee'to the drawing as illustrating the particular improvedconstruction constituting the invention, it will be seeri that inconformity with the usual prae tice the upper end Of the valve stem'isthrea'ded as indicated at l, and that the-cap B is oi'con ventibnalform in that it has a lower skirt'portion 2-, which is internallythreaded to receive the upper threaded end portion l of the valve stem.Above this skirt portion the'cap is en larged to form a band 3, which isexternally roughened and which in conventional use con- 'stitutes afinger receiving portion by means of which the cap can be readilyrotated forremoval from or applicationto the valve stem. Above thisroughened band portion 3, the' cap still follows its conventionaliorm inhaving an elongated portion 4 of reduced diameter having in its upperend a kerf 5, which'is adapted to cooperate with the valve (not-shown)for tight'em ing it within or removing it from the hollow valve stemh. Ir

An internally threaded nut 6 is adapted to be applied to the upperthreaded-end portion I of thevalve stem' and by rotation moved downward-1y thereon to'assuine the position clearly illu's trated in the drawing,whereby it is considerably below the upper end of the stem'and forms acircumferential enlargement at the baseof the threaded portion of thestem and also forms a circumferential shoulder l, the function of whichwill hereinafterclearly appear. The cap retainer and closure C is madeof rubber or other like and suitable flexible or elastic materialandjcomprise's a hollow upper end or'he'ad portion 8, which completelyem braces and retains under resilient tension the cap skirt portion 2and roughened 'band portion 3. The top 9 of the head is provided with anopening to permit passage therethrough of tin elongated reduced ortion Aof the ca and ex tends 'overand resiliently -'e'ngages the curved ortionof the cap immediately above the can band 3. Additionally, the head-8--ispreferably of a length to extend below the lower end oi-"the capskirt portion 2 as clearly appears at H.

In addition to its head portion 8 the cap retainer and closure Ccomprises a lower ring portion l2, which is carried by and connected tothe head portion by two oppositely disposed narrow side wall portions I3and M, which provide oppositely disposed windows I in the carrier. Thelower ring portion H of the retainer is positioned on the valve stem ata point below the nut G and has an internal diameter greater than thediameter of the valve stem, with the result that it is free to eitherrotate or reciprocate upon the valve stem, but is of an internaldiameter less than the outer diameter of the nut 6 with the furtherresult that the ring in its movement cannot pass upwardly over the nutor by the circumferential shoulder 1 formed by the nut on the valvestem. V

The construction of the cap carrying closure C is also such that theside wall members I3 and I4 which unite the ring to the head do notengage or bind upon the stem nut 6, or in any way hinder the freerotation or reciprocation of thering I2 on the valve stem.

From the foregoing description it will be'seen that when it is desiredto apply an air hose or pump hose to the valve stem to inflate the tiretube, the cap B is removed from the stem in the ordinary andconventional way, viz: by rotation. When the cap retainer and closurehasbeen rotatedsufficiently to disengage the cap from the threadedportion of the stem, as illustrated in Fig. 2 of the drawing, theretainer can then be swung or moved against resilient tension of theside walls of the arms I3 and I4 to either side of the valve stem as isillustrated in dotted lines in the before referred to Fig. 2 of thedrawing. Attention is especially directed to the fact that by unscrewingthe cap B from the valve stem I, the lower part of members I3 and I4 andthe ring I2 of the rubber closure C are also rotated around the valvestem and the nut 6, since the parts of the closure fit loosely the valvestem and the part 6. By reference to Fig. 2, it will be observed thatwhen the cap B is unscrewed.- from the part I of the valve stem. theclosure can move vertically until the part I2 engages the member 6. InFig. 2 the parts are shown in this position, and in said figure the capB and the part C are shown in dotted lines to be moved tosubstantiallyhorizontal positions. After the air is supplied or removed through thevalve stem A and the hose through which the air is conducted to theinner tube is removed, then the valve and the part C will automaticallyreturn to a vertical position when they are permitted. In'order to placethe valve cap B on the threaded stem I, it is necessary to depress thevalve cap which also depresses the closure until the cap engages thethreaded portion I, at which time the valve cap and the closure can berotated until. the cap has been fully seated on the end of the valvestem I. By reference to Figure 1, it will be understood that with theparts in the position shown,

there is a space between the under edge of the member 6 and the loweredge of the openings or windows I5, and that the part C of the closurehas traveled downward sufiiciently to enclose the screw threaded portionI of the valve stem and make an absolutely dustproof cover for the screwthreaded portion of the valve stem I. 7

It will also be understood by reference to Fig. 2 of the drawing thatwith the parts in the positions there shown the upper end of the screwthreaded valve stem lies substantially at the upper edge of the windowsI5 and because of this, the part C of the closure carrying the said capis more readily movable laterally to the position shown in dotted linesin Figure 2. It will be seen, of course, that the side wall or armportions I3 and I4 are of sufficient length to afford the necessarylongitudinal movement of the retainer to permit the rotary removal ofthe cap B from the valve stem and that when the retainer.is swung toeither side of the valve stem that the upper end of the stem will extendthrough one of the windows I5 and be available for the application of anair hose or the like.

With a construction such as described, the cap retainer andclosureprovides a dust and moisture-proof protection for the valve andconstitutes a positive carrier and retainer for the cap to prevent itfrom being lost or misplaced. While serving the double function of a capcarrier and protecting closure the structure is such that it is in nosense an obstacle to the easy and rapid removal or replacement of theconventional metal valve cap B and is not in the way when .it is foundnecessary to inflate ordeflate the inner tube.

Attention is directed to the fact that the present invention can bequickly, readily and cheaply applied to and used in connection with anyconventional inner tube by merely applying to the upper end of thetubevvalve stem the nut 6 or its equivalent. Thus the present inventionconstitutes a novel and useful appliance which can be cheaplymanufactured by reason of its simplicity and which should have a largevolume of sale by'reason of its highly desirable attributes and numerousprospective purchasers. v

I claim:

The combination with a conventional valve stem having an outerthreadedend and a conventional internally threaded cap therefor, of .a threadednut on the threaded portion of said valve stem and normally positionedat the lower end thereof and a hollow elastic member having open ends,the outer and upper end portion o-fsaid member tightly fitting saidvalve cap and its inner and lower end loosely surrounding said valvestem at a point below said nut, said hollow-member havinganelongatedelastic intermediate portion interconnecting said upper and lowerportions and formed with a window, said intermediate portion looselyfitting said nut and said valve stem, said hollow upper end portionforming a closed wall with said cap which Wall extends down to said nutwhen the cap has been screwed to a closed position on the valve stemthus forming a closure for that part of the threaded portion of thevalve stem lyingbetween the inner end of said cap and the outer andupper end of said nut, and the lower portion of the hollow memberextending below the nut a distance substantially corresponding to theextension of the upper portion of the hollow-member, the parts operatingas and for the purpose described.

CHARLES J. CLARKE.-

